• Ars Technica, Friday, October 24, 2008 11:30 AM

Odds are you already know someone who is way too serious about his or her virtual life, whether in Second Life or World of Warcraft or some other alternate reality. Well you can now add the Dutch legal system to that group after a court in The Netherlands sentenced two teenagers to community service after stealing virtual items from another child in Runescape.

Never mind that the two teens, a 14- and a 15-year-old, had also physically assaulted their victim (in reality). The case dealt explicitly with the theft of the imaginary items in the game, in this case an amulet and a mask, both of which the court determined had real-world value. "These virtual goods are goods (under Dutch law), so this is theft," said the court.

The older child was sentenced to 200 hours of community service, and the younger 160 hours. On the upside, this might be the most time either has spent interacting with the real world in years.

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